Even the Cicada Are Hot ~ Original Haiku

It's hot in Japan this year. I mean really hot. It's not just me that thinks so. I think the cicada agree.

暑き日や蝉が歌ってる影からね
atsuki hi ya semi ga utatteru kage kara ne

it's hot today
the cicada sing...
from the shade


Cicada by Ohara Koson



Whether it's global warming or El Niño or something I haven't heard of yet—whatever the reason, it is really hot. The incredible humidity of Japan isn't helping things. It's reached the dangerous level many times this summer, and already there have been a number of deaths and many more hospitalizations from heat stroke.

The cicada are everywhere in Japan, as I've talked about before. Some States in the US have been complaining this year about the Brood X and the above average amount of cicada: well... it's like that every year in Japan. Yeah, we have a lot. I enjoy them, so no complaints here, by the way. Anyway, one might imagine cicada enjoy the heat since they are usually out at the hottest part of summer.

But y'know... I notice a lot of them do their singing from the shade of tree branches. Even the cicada get hot, it seems! Or so I might imagine.

The English of the haiku came to my mind first, then I tried to backtrack to what a Japanese version might look like. The humor seems slightly different in the Japanese version as I wrote it, but rather than worry about it too much, I'm just going with my initial idea. If you have any suggestions for a better translation, let me know!

Also published on my website

Hi there! David LaSpina is an American photographer and translator lost in Japan, trying to capture the beauty of this country one photo at a time and searching for the perfect haiku. He blogs here and at laspina.org. Write him on Twitter or Mastodon.


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6 comments
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You received an upvote of 83% from Precious the Silver Mermaid!

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We were sitting at the campground the other night and out of nowhere I heard the distinct cry of a cicada. It's something you never forget.

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Wow, I didn't know you got them up in Michigan. Cool!

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It's pretty rare honestly. Which I think makes it more memorable when you hear one. As you know they are quite distinct!

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